Participation of the Tambov governorate militia in the fight against peasant insurrection. 1918–1922

Importance. The scientific problem is to study the activities of the Tambov governorate militia of the period 1918–1922 as a repressive body of the Soviet management system. The purpose of the research is to analyze the participation of county police departments in the suppression of peasant protest during the Civil War.

Materials and methods. The activity of the governorate militia during the Civil War was studied through a historical and systematic approach, which made it possible to consider the studied object as an integral part of the Soviet management system. The analysis of the participation of rural policemen in the fight against peasant protest is carried out through the prism of the generation of the “revolutionary turning point”.

Results and Discussion. Based on the content of the reports of rural policemen, the causes of peasant discontent, as well as the course of village “rebellions”, were clarified. The forms and nature of the measures used by the governorate militia to counteract the anti-government protests of rural residents have been established. The facts of official crimes and even treason of Tambov policemen were revealed by studying the sentences of the revolutionary military tribunal. It is concluded that during the Tambov uprising of 1920–1921 detachments of the governorate militia, along with units of the Red Army, were involved in the implementation of repressive measures and punitive operations in “rebellious” villages.

Conclusion. The practical significance of the work lies in the use of its results to study the role of the “generation of the revolutionary turning point” in the events of the Civil War. The prospects of the study are seen in the establishment of “hidden” forms of peasant protest during the period of the new economic policy and the role of the governorate militia in countering them.

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